Yesterday, Bruce Springsteen announced the release of his highly anticipated new solo album, Western Stars, which marks his first studio work since High Hopes in 2014. Due on June 14 from Columbia, Western Stars marks a return to "character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangement[s]," as Springsteen described it in a statement.

According to the press release, the album is partly inspired by classic Southern California pop of the '60s and '70s, and Springsteen has previously mentioned the music of Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, and Burt Bacharach as touchstones.  Indeed, the new single "Hello Sunshine" seems to evoke the sound of "Gentle on My Mind" or even "Everybody's Talkin'."  The 13-track collection was cut at The Boss's home studio in New Jersey, with additional tracking taking place in New York and California. The album was co-produced by Springsteen and Ron Aniello, who lends his talents on a variety of instruments. Jon Brion also features on keyboards, while Patti Scialfa lends backing vocals and handles vocal arrangements on four of the tracks.  Old friends David Sancious, Charlie Giordano, and Soozie Tyrell all appear on the LP.

The album will be available in a number of configurations, including CD, digital, 2-LP black vinyl, and 2-LP black-and-blue color vinyl. The latter is exclusive to Bruce Springsteen's online store, which is also offering exclusive apparel and merchandise bundles. The vinyl versions will be presented in a gatefold sleeve and pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

In other Springsteen news, Legacy Recordings recently released a new volume of their live rarities series on digital and streaming outlets everywhere. Entitled The Live Series: Songs of Hope, it collects 19 of his most uplifting tracks, recorded on the road from 1975 to 2016. You can stream the collection on Spotify and other streaming services, or download it from Amazon U.S. and iTunes in standard resolution. A track listing for the collection can also be found below!

Springsteen's upcoming studio effort Western Stars will arrive on June 14 from Columbia Records. You can check out the track listing below, along with pre-order links to secure your copy. And keep scrolling to whet your appetite with the new single, "Hello Sunshine"!

Bruce Springsteen, Western Stars (Columbia, 2019)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-LP black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-LP color vinyl: Bruce Springsteen Online Shop
Music and merchandise bundles: Bruce Springsteen Online Shop

1. Hitch Hikin'
2. The Wayfarer
3. Tucson Train
4. Western Stars
5. Sleepy Joe's Café
6. Drive Fast (The Stuntman)
7. Chasin' Wild Horses
8. Sundown
9. Somewhere North of Nashville
10. Stones
11. There Goes My Miracle
12. Hello Sunshine
13. Moonlight Motel

Bruce Springsteen, The Live Series: Songs of Hope (Legacy/Nugs.net, 2019)

1. Land Of Hope And Dreams - Apollo Theater, New York, NY - 03/09/12
2. Badlands - Agora, Cleveland, OH - 08/09/78
3. The Rising - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ - 08/30/16
4. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? - HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY - 11/22/09
5. Night - Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA - 12/31/75
6. The Promised Land - King's Hall, Belfast, UK - 03/19/96
7. My Lucky Day - Ullevi Stadium, Goteberg, Sweden - 06/25/16
8. Tougher Than the Rest - Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, SE - 07/03/88
9. This Is Your Sword - Times Union Center, Albany, NY - 05/13/14
10. My City Of Ruins - Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland - 07/31/12
11. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) - Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC - 04/19/14
12. The Promise - Palace Theatre, Albany, NY - 02/07/77
13. Living Proof - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ - 08/30/16
14. Lucky Town - Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome, Italy - 07/11/13
15. This Hard Land - Estadio de Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain - 05/17/16